Celts in the Americas Conference, 2011
29 June – 2 July, 2011
The Celts in the Americas conference will be held 29 June – 2 July, 2011 at Saint Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, hosted by the Celtic Studies Department of St FX and the Centre for Cape Breton Studies at Cape Breton University. It will offer a unique opportunity to share scholarship about the history, culture, and literature of Celtic-speaking peoples in North and South America. We invite submissions for 20 minute talks which discuss various aspects of the experiences and literatures of the communities speaking Breton, Cornish, Irish Gaelic, Manx Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic, or Welsh in the Americas, including:
• The history of the migrations of Celtic-speaking communities
• Examinations of Celtic literatures and folklore of the Americas
• Social movements and organisations formed by and for Celtic immigrant communities
• Developments in the folklife of Celtic immigrant communities
• Issues of linguistic and cultural maintenance and sustainability for Celtic immigrant communities
• Assessments of the history or current state of the field of Celtic Studies in the Americas
• New sources of information about Celtic-speaking peoples
• Preservation of and access to archival cultural resources, esp. digitization projects
The final day of the conference will be devoted to examining the interactions between Celtic peoples and non-Celtic peoples in the Americas, with a special emphasis on indigenous peoples and peoples of African descent. Suggested topics include:
• The development of the idea of Other and racialism
• Indigenous peoples, Imperial frontiers, and cultural invasion
• Mutual reflections of Others in literature (Celtic, indigenous, and Afro-centric)
• Mutual cultural, folkloric, and linguistic influences and exchanges
• Mutual influences in movements for civil, cultural, and linguistic rights
Presentations may be offered in English, French, or any of the Celtic languages; a short summary abstract in both English and French will be required before the conference for dissemination to conference attendees. A selection of papers from the conference is expected to be published. Please submit your name, institutional affiliation, paper title, and abstract (between 150 and 300 words) by 5 December 2010 via email to: mnewton@stfx.ca.
Further details about the conference will be made available on the St FX Celtic Department website: http://www.stfx.ca/academic/celtic-studies/. |
